Kremi and NCB Financial are back in the Main and Junior Markets IC TOP 10 lists for the week as Access Financial and Salada Foods moved out, with the former earnings downgraded following the release of half-year results while the latter recovered from the price decline suffered in the previous the week.
Jacinth Hall-Tracey, Managing Director of Lasco Financial.
The past week belonged to Caribbean Cement (CC) that posted strong increased revenues and profit with the stock jumping 12.5 percent from $45.96 to close at $57. As was the case with CC last week, Lasco Financial is set to be a big winner this week, with the company reporting outstanding second-quarter profit that should encourage investors to pick up the stock.
The Main and Junior markets closed trading for October lower than September. Signals in the market point to higher prices ahead. The Junior Market is currently signaling a big surge that will start in a few weeks as short-term moving averages cross over longer-term ones to confirm a strong rally ahead. The big move in the Main market seems a few months away, but signs are that the market should continue to move gradually higher ahead of the year-end.
This week’s focus: Lasco Financial generated $136 million in the September quarter profit compared with a loss of $16 million for the second quarter in the previous year. Profit after tax for the six months to September amounts to just $30 million, down from the corresponding period’s $75 million, and an improvement on the first-quarter loss of $106 million. Earnings per share ended at 10.7 cents for the quarter and 2.4 cents for the half-year. For the quarter, revenues fell 5.7 percent or $38 million from the 2019 September quarter to $617 million, due largely to the decline of revenues from loans that fell 34.5 percent or $152 million in the six months to September, compared with the previous year financial period.
Remittances grew 11 percent and added $50 million to revenues while Cambio operations contributed 10.8 percent or $34 million to increased revenues, the company’s Managing Director Jacinth Hall-Tracey, informed shareholders in a commentary accompanying the quarterly report.
Access Financial reported $62 million in profit after tax for the six-month to September, compared to $280 million for the same period in 2019. Higher revenue in the September quarter was offset by a $45 million increased loan loss provision, resulting in a slightly lower profit of $29 million versus $33 million in the first quarter. The next few quarters will be interesting to watch for future direction.
The top three stocks in Junior Market remain as they were this past week, with the potential to gain between 287 to 723 percent by March 2021. Caribbean Producers heads the list, followed by Lasco Financial and Elite Diagnostic. With Lasco Financial posting strong second-quarter results, they will likely drop out of the top three this coming week. The focus on all three is on the 2021 fiscal year profit, projected to recover from reduced profit for the 2020 financial year. 
With expected gains of 161 to 238 percent, the top three Main Market stocks are now Berger Paints followed by JMMB Group, Radio Jamaica replacing Grace Kennedy in the third position last week.
The market’s targeted average PE ratio is 20, based on companies’ profits reporting full year’s results from now to the second quarter in 2021. The Junior and Main markets are currently trading well below the market average, indicating the potential gains ahead. The JSE Main Market ended the week, with an overall PE of 15.8 and the Junior Market 12.2, based on ICInsider.com’s projected 2020-21 earnings. The average PE ratio of the Junior Market has been slowly rising, with better profit opportunities than the Main Market and narrowing the gap. The PE ratio for the Junior Market Top 10 stocks average a mere 6 at just 49 percent to the Junior Market average. The Main Market TOP 10 stocks trade at a PE of 8.3 or 52 percent of the PE of that market.
The average projected gain for the Junior Market IC TOP 10 stocks is 287 percent, and 149 percent for the JSE Main Market, based on 2020-21 earnings, indicates potentially greater gains in the Junior Market than the Main Market.
IC TOP 10 stocks are likely to deliver the best returns up to March 2021 and ranked in order of potential gains, based on likely gain for each company, taking into account the earnings and PE ratios for the current fiscal year. Expected values will change as stock prices fluctuate and result in movement in and out of the lists for most weeks. Revisions to earnings per share are ongoing, based on receipt of new information.
Persons who compiled this report may have an interest in securities commented on in this report.
The Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market ended trading on Friday with the market rising and is wont to be the case at the end of month trading as investors stocks rising beat those declining almost two to one after an exchange of 50 percent fewer shares than on Thursday.
The market closed with an exchange of 8,139,134 shares for $68,031,377 compared to 16,233,483 units at $54,575,343 on Thursday.
Caribbean Cement shed 50 cents, in ending at $57 after exchanging 54,477 shares, Jamaica Broilers declined $1.90 in closing at $26, with 107,524 shares changing hands, Jamaica Producers gained 40 cents to settle at $21 trading 3,486 units. Jamaica Stock Exchange gained 74 cents and closed at $18.25 after the transfer of 344,824 shares, JMMB Group gained 48 cents to settle at $30, with 44,131 stock units passing through the market, Mayberry Jamaican Equities fell 89 cents to $7.35, in exchanging 22,150 stock units. MPC Caribbean Clean Energy declined by $7 to $150 after the swapping of 425 units. Pan Jam Investment advanced to $68.15, with gains of $4.65 trading 12,700 units, Proven Investments climbed $1.30 to $39.90 after exchanging just one unit. Sagicor Group ended $2.38 higher at $46.48, with 116,935 shares passing through the market, Scotia Group shed 50 cents, in ending at $45.50 with an exchange of 67,773 shares and Wisynco Group lost 46 cents in closing at $15.50, with 59,151 stock units crossing the market.
At the close, the All Jamaican Composite Index dropped 3,759.27 points to 408,204.70, the Main Index declined by 3,387.45 points to 372,540.50 and the JSE Financial Index shed 1.45 points to settle at 96.90.
Trading ended with an average of 377,523 units changing hands at $1,269,194 compared to an average of 353,293 shares at $1,932,013 on Wednesday. The average trade for October to date ended at 407,163 units at $4,757,020, in contrast to 408,707 units at $4,938,583 on Wednesday and exceeds by a good margin September’s average of 265,170 units at $3,271,625.
JMMB Group gained 47 cents in closing at $29.52, with 45,973 shares changing hands, Kingston Properties advanced by $1.10 to $7.45, in transferring 520 units, Kingston Wharves climbed $3.27 to $47.90, with 3,487 units passing through the market. Mayberry Jamaican Equities carved out a gain of $1.64 after crossing the market with 1,525 units to settle at $8.24, MPC Caribbean Clean Energy gained $9 and closed at $157, with 1,090 units clearing the market, Palace Amusement declined by $4 in closing at $1,485 while trading 12 units. Pan Jam Investment dipped $1.50 to $63.50, with investors switching ownership of 9,284 stock units, Sagicor Group declined by $2.40 to $44.10, in an exchange of 22,788 stock units, Scotia Group gained 70 cents to settle at $46, with 2,115 units changing hands. Seprod climbed $4.50 to $62.50, with an exchange of 144,155 shares and Wisynco Group ended at $15.96, with gains of 35 cents after crossing the market with 136,098 shares.
At the close, the All Jamaican Composite Index declined by 1,470.6 points to 411,963.97, the JSE Main Index fell by 1,333.36 points to 375,927.95 and the JSE Financial Index shed 0.65 points to settle at 98.35.
Trading ended with an average of 353,293 units changing hands at $1,932,013 for each security, in comparison to an average of 172,054 shares at $7,848,309 on Tuesday. The average trade for the month to date ended at 408,707 units at $4,938,590 for each security, in contrast to 411,824 units at $5,107,758. Trading month to date exceeds by a wide margin of September’s average of 265,170 units at $3,271,625.
Jamaica Broilers finished $1.49 higher to settle at $27.99, in trading 22,005 stock units, Jamaica Stock Exchange gained 50 cents with an exchange of 11,437 units and closed at $18. JMMB Group shed 45 cents to end at $29.05, with 281,974 shares changing hands, Kingston Wharves fell $2.87 to settle at $44.63, after 3,940 units crossed the market, Margaritaville advanced by $5.56 to a 52 weeks’ high of $42.60, in exchanging 64 units. MPC Caribbean Clean Energy declined by $20 to $148, with a transfer of 100 units, NCB Financial lost $1 in closing at $136, with investors swapping 23,951 stock units, Palace Amusement advanced by $339 to $1,489 in an exchange of just 3 units. Sagicor Group climbed $2.50 to $46.50, trading 13,607 shares, Salada Foods fell $1 to $28, in clearing the market with 1,000 units, Scotia Group lost 70 cents to close at $45.30, in trading 97,053 shares, Seprod rose 89 cents to end at $58, after clearing the market with 159,716 shares and Wisynco Group shed 79 cents to settle at $15.61, with 430,772 shares changing hands.
At the close, the All Jamaican Composite Index advanced by 1,747.97 points to 413,434.57, the Main Index climbed 1,741.93 points to 377,261.31 and the JSE Financial Index gained 0.55 points to settle at 99.00.
The average trade for October to date ended at 411,824 units at $5,107,751 for each security, in contrast to 426,464 units at $4,940,417. Trading month to date exceeds by a wide margin, September’s average of 265,170 units at $3,271,625.
Jamaica Stock Exchange shed 49 cents to settle at $17.50, crossing the market with 37,033 stock units, JMMB Group closed at $29.50, with a loss of 50 cents as investors swapped 33,784 stock units. Key Insurance lost 30 cents to close at $8 trading 32,081 stock units. Kingston Properties lost $1.12 to $6.35, exchanging 4,495 units, Kingston Wharves climbed $2.60 to $47.50, after transferring 20 units. MPC Caribbean Clean Energy jumped $23 to $168, in exchanging two units, Palace Amusement dived $339 to end at $1,150, with 15 units changing hands, Pan Jam Investment fell $1 to $65, with investors swapping 47,299 shares. Portland JSX shed 95 cents to settle at $8.05, in trading 9,500 units. Seprod fell $2.89 to $57.11, trading 115,202 shares and Supreme Ventures gained 33 cents to close at $14.99, exchanging 171,217 shares.
Trading month to date exceeds by a good margin, September’s average of 265,170 units at $3,271,625.
Jamaica Broilers ended $2.50 lower at $25.50, in exchanging 31,557 stock units, Jamaica Producers fell $1 to $19.60, with 306,847 shares crossing the market. Key Insurance gained 80 cents to close at $8.30, in trading 16,450 stock units, Kingston Wharves ended at $44.90, with gains of 30 cents after 3,273 units crossed the exchange, Mayberry Jamaican Equities shed $1.03 to end at $6.57 trading 26,885 stock units. Palace Amusement climbed $9 to $1,489, after clearing the market with just two units, Pan Jam Investment fell $2 to $66, exchanging 12,374 units, Proven Investments picked up 50 cents to close at $38.50, in exchanging 30,419 shares. Sagicor Group dropped $2.40 to end at $44, with 29,914 shares passing through the market, Salada Foods jumped $9 to $29, in an exchange of 120 units, Scotia Group declined by $2.44 to $46, with investors switching ownership of 24,161 stock units and Seprod gained $1.50 to end at $60, after an exchange of 251,138 shares.
The Main and Junior Markets closed the past week lower than the close of the previous week, with the Main market at a higher level than the third week of July, while the Junior Market continues at the lowest levels since the early summer months. 
Lasco Financial and Elite Diagnostic. 
The focus on all three is on the 2021 fiscal year profit, projected to recover from reduced profit for the 2020 financial year. With expected gains of 151 to 227 percent, the top three Main Market stocks are Berger Paints, followed by JMMB Group and Grace Kennedy. 
The JSE Main Market ended the week, with an overall PE of 16.1 and the Junior Market 12.2, based on ICInsider.com’s projected 2020-21 earnings. The average PE ratio of the Junior Market has been slowly rising, with better profit opportunities than the Main Market and narrowing the gap. The PE ratio for the Junior Market Top 10 stocks average a mere 5.7 at just 47 percent to the Junior Market average. The Main Market TOP 10 stocks trade at a PE of 8.4 or 52 percent of the PE of that market.
IC TOP 10 stocks are likely to deliver the best returns up to March 2021 and ranked in order of potential gains, based on likely gain for each company, taking into account the earnings and PE ratios for the current fiscal year. Expected values will change as stock prices fluctuate and result in movements in and out of the lists for most weeks. Revisions to earnings per share are ongoing, based on receipt of new information.
At the close, the All Jamaican Composite Index advanced by 738.24 points to 412,694.72. The Main Index rose 489.74 points to 376,431.65 and the JSE Financial Index gained 0.54 points to settle at 99.48.
Trading ended with an average of 1,128,723 units changing hands at $1,601,545 for each security, in comparison to an average of 742,870 shares at $1,384,547 on Thursday. The average trade for the month to date ended at 427,526 units at $5,067,972 for each security,in contrast to 376,667 units at $5,319,395. Trading for the month to date is well above September’s average of 265,170 units at $3,271,625.
Kingston Wharves declined by $3.39 to close at $44.60, with 664 units crossing the exchange, Mayberry Investments shed 58 cents in exchanging 15,208 stock units and closed at $5.42. Mayberry Jamaican Equities ended at $7.60, with gains of $1.10 trading 35,292 shares, MPC Caribbean Clean Energy fell $24 to $145, in an exchange of 96 units, NCB Financial gained 47 cents to settle at $136.50, after the transfer of 19,767 shares. Palace Amusement climbed $10 to $1,480 in trading just one unit, Portland JSX gained 80 cents to close at $9, with 602 stock units crossing the market, Proven Investments lost 62 cents in the exchange of 3,811 units to finish at $38. Sagicor Group closed $2.35 higher at $46.40, with 10,789 stock units changing hands, Salada Foods dropped $6 to $20, trading 5 units, Scotia Group climbed $2.43 to close at $48.44, with an exchange of 1,242 units. Seprod dipped $1.48 to $58.50 in trading 89,547 shares and Sterling Investments gained 47 cents to end at $3.80 in trading 1,000 units.
The average trade for the month to date ended at 376,667 units at $5,319,395 for each security, in contrast to 347,371 units at $5,634,183. Trading month to date is well ahead of September’s average of 265,170 units at $3,271,625.
NCB Financial traded at $136.03, with a loss of 47 cents after 6,827 units passed through the market. Palace Amusement added $20 to close at $1,470 in an exchange of 37 units, Proven Investments settled at $38.62, after losing $1.38 with 14,591 stock units changed hands, Salada Foods gained 90 cents to close at $26, with an exchange of 14,663 stocks. Scotia Group lost 31 cents and ending at $46.01, with 41,370 shares changing hands, Seprod dropped $7 to $59.98, trading 187,632 shares, Sygnus Credit Investments lost 50 cents to close at $18, trading 135,856 units and Wisynco Group gained 60 cents after exchanging 40,127 shares to settle at $16.60.
At the close, the All Jamaican Composite Index gained 35.98 points to 414,887.27, the Main Index rose 193.22 points to 378,479.15, while the JSE Financial Index shed 0.39 points to settle at 99.58.
Trading ended with an average of 529,366 units at $6,859,271 for each security compared to an average of 99,936 shares at $838,249 on Tuesday. The average trade for October to date ended at 347,371 units at $5,634,183 for each security, in contrast to 332,968 units at $5,537,233. Trading month to date is well up on September’s average of 265,170 units at $3,271,625.
Kingston Properties fell $1.25 to $6.25 after finishing with 3,970 stock units changing hands, Mayberry Jamaican Equities shed 40 cents to close at $7.40, in trading 12,734 stock, MPC Caribbean Clean Energy rose $29 to $169 after trading 100 units. NCB Financial Group declined $1.50 in closing at $136.50, with an exchange of 139,361 shares, Palace Amusement lost $39 and closed at $1,450, trading 15 units, Proven Investments dropped $1.25 to end at $40, in an exchange of 9,400 stock units. Sagicor Group fell $1.79 to $44.11 trading 22,550 shares, Scotia Group dropped $2.18 to $46.32, in trading 3,235 units, Seprod climbed $8.48 to a 52 weeks’ closing high of $66.98 after hitting a new high of $70, with investors swapping 149,833 shares after the company reported a big increase in nine months profit and Supreme Ventures lost 38 cents to end at $14.52, in trading 16,842 stock units.